WELCOME, N.C. – VELVEETA® Shells & Cheese is partnering with Richard Childress Racing (RCR) and the No. 31 Chevrolet SS team to give NASCAR fans a taste of the one and only LIQUID GOLD. VELVEETA Shells & Cheese will serve as primary sponsor for select races, beginning June 18 at Michigan International Speedway, and associate sponsorship for the remainder of the 2017 season. The paint scheme was unveiled live on FS1’s “NASCAR Race Hub” on Wednesday evening.

The partnership is highlighted by a comprehensive marketing and content program, including a national sweepstakes that will grant one lucky grand prize winner the LIQUID GOLD championship experience: an all-expenses paid VIP weekend at the NASCAR Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Entrants will also have the chance to win more than 100 autographed swag items, including mini replicas of Ryan Newman’s race helmet and race-worn fire suits from the No. 31 Chevrolet pit crew. Details and call-to-action for the sweepstakes, which launches this month and will continue through the summer, are being distributed on more than three million boxes of VELVEETA Shells & Cheese.

“There’s nothing quite like LIQUID GOLD, and the same goes for NASCAR,” said Jessica Gilbertson, Head of Meals at Kraft Heinz. “Partnering with Ryan Newman and Richard Childress Racing perfectly marries the existing fandom of VELVEETA Shells & Cheese and NASCAR, providing our fans with once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”

VELVEETA Shells & Cheese will utilize digital, social and retail activation assets to engage consumers in key markets. Fans will have the opportunity to see the No. 31 VELVEETA Shells & Cheese Chevrolet SS show car up close and in person, at local market pop-up events held throughout the season. More information with exact locations and times will be released at a later date.

“Our loyal fans are heavily engaged with brands throughout our sport, and the VELVEETA Shells & Cheese brand is a perfect fit for those millions of NASCAR fans,” said Ben Schlosser, chief marketing officer for Richard Childress Racing.

“American families enjoy the convenience and tastiness of VELVEETA Shells & Cheese every day of the week, and now they’ll have the opportunity to win a VIP trip to our season finale in Miami, while engaging with ‘LIQUID GOLD’ content throughout the season featuring Ryan (Newman), crew chief Luke Lambert, the No. 31 VELVEETA Shells & Cheese crew members and other RCR personalities.”

The Kraft Heinz Co., which owns and operates the VELVEETA Shells & Cheese brand, is the third-largest food and beverage company in North America. It joins Caterpillar, Grainger and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions as primary sponsors on the No. 31 Chevrolet SS driven by NASCAR veteran Ryan Newman. Newman won earlier this season at Phoenix International Raceway and locked himself into the NASCAR playoffs which are set to begin on Sept. 16 at Chicagoland Speedway.